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I got a surprise in the mail today, my camera came back. Interesting, considering I sent it out on the 4th and here it is 3 days later. In the box was a memo stating that they could not replicate the issue which is interesting since when I trun the power switch on it does not power up. I am pissed at Precision Camera, to say the least. But here is the kicker...

If I remove the battery grip and return the camera to it's original state (battery cover in place) the camera works (so far). So, that tells me that whoever received my camera, grip installed and batteries in place, had to have turned on the camera, seen it did not power up and then proceeded to remove said battery grip in order to determine that, yes, indeed, the camera does work. So rather than contacting me to say, "by the way, it may be your grip and not the camera that is not working. Would you like us to fix that too?" they just reassembled it. repackaged it and sent it back with a not stating, "At this time we are unable to duplicate or pinpoint any malfunction in your unit."

That said, I am now wondering if my camera was fine the whole time and it was just the grip that was faulty. Remember earlier I mentioned that when I had applied pressure to the top of the camera it powered up temporarily? That's the exact issue I am still encountering. This leads me to think they just cleaned the camera, made sure it powered up without the grip and took my money.

Sorry to hear it Duck.The only repair service I've used is Canon's Service & Repair. I was happy with the work they've done for me. My shutter was worn out and I had a sometimes power-up problem once. They replaced the shutter, tightened up a loose board, and cleaned the camera. I don't recall the exact price they charged, but I believe it was in the ballpark of what you were charged.

First an update: I received a call back from one of the managers at Precision Camera and I explained my disappointment and my concerns. She was very amicable and listened to what I had to say. I stressed that I could have just left it at being pissed and slamming them on the internet but that would not solve anything. From others I hear they do good work so an issue like this should be resolved rather than allowed to continue. At least that's my mentality. In the end she promised to investigate what happened and she feels I am entitled to some form of refund.

The funny thing is she is willing to refund me the service charge but not the cleaning charge ($50) considering I sent it in for repair, not cleaning. It would be like having my car serviced for a muffler repair and getting it back with the broken muffler and a carwash then being charged for the car wash.

Secondly: I decided I would do a little investigating and troubleshooting on my own. After some methodical testing I have found the culprit. It is, indeed, my camera. There is a small pressure switch just inside the camera battery door. It's purpose is to ensure the battery door is closed before it allows the camera to power up. This is why when I took my grip off and just inserted a battery it would not power up. I had just assumed that it was broken from the fall.

After some testing, it seems that when the battery grip is in place there is a tab on the grip that pushes on the switch, allowing the camera to power on. After the fall something must have happened to that switch because with the battery grip in place it's not pressing that switch all the way. If I apply downward pressure it does engage the switch, but only with pressure. Once pressure is released the switch disengages and power gets disconnected. However, with the camera's battery door in place it works fine. So it must be off by just a tiny bit. Just enough to give me a hassle. I will try to fabricate something to extend the tab on the grip so it engages without pressure. If not... back to the drawing board.

I am reluctant in sending it back to Precision Camera for any further work.